Dynasty Ponies
by Humots
Summary: When the Mirror of Infinite Worlds is shattered, ponies from across Equestria find themselves stranded in China at the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era. There is only one way they can return to their own dimension: they must join forces with the mightiest warriors of the period and fight to restore order to the land!
1. Prologue

Dynasty Ponies

Prologue

"A Challenge from Beyond"

_Somewhere in China_

Within the encampment, all the soldiers were celebrating. Spontaneous bonfires had been set up everywhere, and all around men were drinking, gorging themselves and making merry.

Twilight Sparkle stood at the entrance to her tent and watched. The fires of victory sparked no joy in her heart; they merely reminded her of the devastation that had unfolded just a few hours before.

She turned her back on the spectacle and reentered her quarters. Spike was sitting on the ground drawing in the dirt with a stick.

"Spike, take a letter," Twilight suddenly declared, surprising even herself.

It had been a long time since Spike had heard her give that order, and he had to take a moment to remind himself of what to do. When it came to him, he quickly scraped together parchment and pen. When he was ready, Twilight began to speak:

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I know I haven't written to you since I came to this new land. I didn't think you would receive my messages. To be honest, I still don't think this will reach you, but I have to write it anyways, for my own sake. You said that when the land was unified, we would all get to go home. I believed you, and I fought because I believed you. There are good things about this world. It is full of humans who are strong and wise and kind. Some of them have even become my friends. But sometimes it seems that they only know how to fight and how to hurt. I've seen so much suffering since I came here that I'm beginning to doubt this land will ever be united. Did you lie to me? Have all my struggles been for nothing? All I want is to see Equestria again, to be together with my friends again. I just want to go home._

The word "home" lingered in Twilight's throat just a little too long, and it was all she could do to choke back her tears. What was "home," anyway? Something long ago and far away…

_Several years ago_

"What'll I make? What'll I make?"

Twilight Sparkle was tearing through her bookshelves at a furious pace. No sooner would she bring a book up to her scrutiny then she would cast it away and gallop off to levitate down a new one in its place. The floor of her library betrayed the casualties of her struggle; dozens of cookbooks had been flung around, opened to recipes with names like "Pumpkin Custard" and "Tapioca Fruit Parfaits."

Because the weather ponies had decided to make tomorrow a beautiful, sunny day, Twilight and her five best friends had agreed to have a picnic, and that meant that Twilight had to find something that she could cook for them. But how was she supposed to come up with a dish as good as Applejack's apple pie or…well, anything that Pinkie Pie baked? Obviously, she would need the perfect recipe to do it, and it had to be somewhere in her books!

Spike, his eyes half-closed from fatigue, walked in on the scene of Twilight's bustle. "Hey, Twi?"

Twilight Sparkle screeched to a halt in front of him, breathing heavily. Her frazzled face was just inches from his own and he instinctively recoiled.

"What is it, Spike? I'm kind of busy here."

"It's just that, it's really late and you're making a lot of noise and, uh…dragons need their sleep too, you know."

Twilight's eyes grew downcast. "I'm sorry. I just can't seem to find the perfect recipe for the picnic."

Spike laughed. "Is that all? That's easy to fix! Wait right there and I'll help you."

And with that, he dashed out of the library. Twilight stepped forward and shouted after him: "You don't understand! When I said 'perfect,' I really meant it!"

It did not take long for Spike to return. He carried with him a thin strip of cloth. Before Twilight knew what was happening, he had jumped up and tied it around her eyes as a blindfold.

"What are you doing?" said Twilight, with no small amount of annoyance in her voice.

Spike, looking carefully over the scattered cookbooks, picked up the biggest one. Struggling under its weight for a moment, he balanced himself and moved in front of the blindfolded Twilight.

"I've got one of your recipe books in front of you. I'm gonna flip through the pages, and you're gonna point when you feel like the perfect recipe's in front of you.

Twilight frowned. "There's no way this will work."

"C'mon!" coaxed Spike. "Just give it a try!" And with that, he began riffling through the pages.

Twilight sighed and played along, sticking her hoof in the middle of the book. Standing up on her hind legs, she lifted the blindfold from her eyes and looked at the recipe that had come up.

"Chocolate cake? Just chocolate cake?"

"Great!" said Spike. "Everypony likes chocolate!"

"But it's so simple and boring!"

"C'mon, Twi. They're your friends. They'll love anything you make for them as long as you try your best."

Something in Spike's words struck home to Twilight Sparkle. Her protestations halted.

With an audible "oof," Spike dropped the tome at Twilight's feet. "Now I'm going to go and get some sleep. You should too, unless you want to go to that picnic with those ugly bags you get under your eyes."

Spike walked out, yawning, before Twilight could respond to his little dig at her. She stood for a moment in the middle of the mess of paper and binding her search had whipped up.

Chocolate cake, huh? She knew how to make that.

Twilight stood before a mirror. Her toothbrush, under the control of her telekinetic magic, moved up and down over her smile.

She had laid out everything she needed for the chocolate cake. She would bake it in the morning. She had enough time. Now, she had to focus on getting in a little shut-eye.

"You're right, Spike. Tomorrow's going to be a beautiful day."

At least, that was what she was trying to say. At that moment, her mouth was too full of toothpaste, so what actually came out was something more akin to "Yerrit sperk. Toomoo gernbera boofilldeh." It didn't matter much, though, as Spike had already drifted off to sleep. The thought was more for herself than for him.

Having finished washing up, Twilight trotted to her bed and slid underneath the covers. It wasn't long before a peaceful sleep had overtaken her, filled with dreams of the pleasures to come on the morrow.

_Rumble Rumble_

Torn from her slumber by the sudden noise, Twilight slowly opened her eyes. At first those eyes glimmered with anticipation, but they soon narrowed into an expression of confusion as it dawned on their owner what the source of the sound had been; for it was unmistakable that the cannon-like blast that had awoken Twilight Sparkle was merely a bright shock of thunder standing out against the dull hammering of a heavy rain.

"Something isn't right," thought Twilight, sitting upright in her bed. "They said the weather…"

She did not give herself time to complete that thought, for she was already galloping down her stairs towards the door to her house, only pausing to check on Spike. As she suspected, the young dragon was still sound asleep, with nary a care strewn across his face. "No need to wake him," mused Twilight. "Thanks to this rain, he won't be missing much right now."

Twilight Sparkle stepped outside and a thrill of fear brought her rush to a halt. Certainly, to one who did not look closely, the world would have looked as it ordinarily did when it rained in Ponyville: the sky was grey, puddles were forming in the cracks on the street, where not another soul was around, and the light of the sun, obscured by the clouds, reached the earth only in a haze. Twilight, however, had a more discerning vision, and she could see that the gray color of the clouds did not end in the sky, but instead seeped almost imperceptibly into the tops of the buildings around her, and that the rain, when looked at intently, seemed less like water than a continuation of this gray, coming down in dreary blobs.

"This is no ordinary rain," Twilight thought to herself, but her pondering was almost immediately interrupted.

"Twilight!"

"A-Applejack?"

The new pony ran up to meet Twilight Sparkle.

"We thought we'd find you here. C'mon! The others are all waitin' in the center of town!"

Applejack made to bolt off, but Twilight stopped her.

"Applejack, what do you think's going on?"

"I ain't sure, but this rain is mighty strange. It's like…well, usually when it rains, I always feel like the apple trees are growin', you know? With this rain, I don't feel like anythin' is growin'. Just…dyin'.

Twilight Sparkle stared at her friend. "So one of the others feels it, too," she thought to herself.

"We'd better meet up with the others, Applejack."

And with Twilight in tow, Applejack took off.

The two soon reached their other friends, who were congregating underneath a rather large umbrella held up by Fluttershy.

Rarity looked up at Twilight with a scowl across her mouth. "Darling, the whole day is ruined! I can't even show you all the marvelous new dress I've been working on, at least not with this rain."

"Those lazy jerks on weather duty always mess things up," chimed in Rainbow Dash. "I bet they expect me to do everything around here, but this is too big of a job for one pony."

"What are we going to do?" wailed Fluttershy.

The six ponies sat in gloomy thought. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's face lit up with inspiration.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Just stand back and watch!"

And watch the others did, or at least as much as it was possible to watch; for Pinkie was moving at such speed and with such single-mindedness, grabbing materials and tossing them together in front of her companions, that she was nothing but a blur to their eyes. Impossibly, her furious workings even raised up a cloud of dust around the mysterious device she was making, a cloud that even the heavy rain couldn't beat down.

When the dust had settled, the other ponies saw Pinkie Pie standing proudly before a crude wooden megaphone about two stories tall, tilted to face the sky. Positioning herself at the mouthpiece and drawing in a gigantic breath, Pinkie Pie shouted with all her might "RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY! COME AGAIN SOME OTHER DAY!"

The other ponies looked incredulously at the smiling Pinkie.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning leapt from the sky and struck the megaphone, burning it to cinders in seconds as Pinkie Pie screamed and jumped out of the way.

Regaining her composure, Pinkie Pie returned under the umbrella. "Well, I gave it my best shot."

"Have you guys seen anypony else wandering around today?" Twilight suddenly interjected. It had just struck her that her five friends were the only ponies she had seen since she had stepped outside. The rain, the isolation...she could feel her heart sinking as she realized that these things could only mean that evil was afoot.

"Sorry, Twilight, but there ain't nopony else around that I know of," offered Applejack.

"Now that you mention it, it is rather curious," said Rarity. "Why isn't there anypony else out here?"

"Because I made this rain just for you," a familiar voice intoned from above and behind them.

Even before she turned around to see the raindrops changing their course before her eyes, filling the empty air as if it were a vessel and forming a giant sphere that floated above the ground, Twilight Sparkle knew who had spoken. Even before the miniature figure, with its body of mismatched parts from other creatures, dimly flickered to life in the center of the hovering water like their future in a crystal ball, she recognized the voice. Its silken tone rang with a hollowness that conjured every horror that chaos could bring. There could be no doubt about who it was.

"Discord!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"B-b-but we locked you away!" cowered Fluttershy with a mixture of awe and fear.

The miniature image of Discord smiled. "Oh, the hard part was figuring out how to escape the first time. Once you learn the trick, it's a snap!"

"Why are you showing your slimy face here again?" Rainbow Dash asked with a sneer. The six ponies had gathered around the sphere and Dash was hovering right next to it, looking as if she could not decide whether to take a swipe at the image of Discord within the water's depths or hold back and hear him out.

"Why else but to claim this land which is rightfully mine?" Discord returned. "Not forgetting, of course, to take sweet revenge against the six meddlers who caused me a…let's say 'temporary setback'...while I do it!"

"If it has taken me a little while to return," he continued, "it is only because I've been busy preparing a small surprise for you. I would be oh so grateful if you could pop into the new castle I've built for myself. It's just on the outskirts of your teensy little town. You can't miss it."

The ponies looked off in various directions, but no castle was to be seen.

"What castle?" spoke up Applejack dismissively. "I don't see no…"

She did not get to complete her thought, as the ground immediately began to shake violently. The sound of stone being hewn from stone and earth dropping away from earth filled the wet air as off in the distance a tower taller than any the six friends had seen before, even in Canterlot, seemed to grow out of the earth like a malevolent oak.

"Do you see it now?" the image of Discord chuckled. "Like I said, you can't miss it!"

"I don't like your games, Discord," Pinkie Pie shouted. "They're no fun!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash agreed. "Why don't you come over here and put your money where your mouth is, you ugly dragon…goat…thing!"

Discord sighed. "Oh, I really can't be bothered. If you don't want to come visit me, that's no skin off my nose. You should just know that this lovely rain that you're all enjoying has a name: the Rain of Lost Hope. It shouldn't be long now until it sucks the very souls from everypony in Ponyville, not to mention Canterlot, Saddle Arabia…you do know it's raining everywhere, don't you? Of course, it shouldn't matter much to you. I grant that the magic of the Elements of Harmony is keeping you safe from my wonderful downpour. But won't it be so much fun when everypony you know is my thrall? Perhaps I'll turn them all into gnats. No, trout! No, trout-gnats!" Discord giggled with glee. "Well, it's your choice, girls. Come to my little party, or watch as this rain makes the flowers of chaos bloom!"

And with that, the miniature Discord vanished from the center of the sphere of water, which burst out in all directions, deluging the six ponies and sending them sprawling.

Rarity was the first pony to get up. "That insolent wretch!" she cried as she rubbed the water off of her face with her forelegs.

Rainbow Dash righted herself next. Her eyes were all afire. "So he summoned a rainstorm with his magic. Who cares? Let's go get him!"

"Rainbow Dash is right," said Pinkie Pie. "We've got the Elements of Harmony on our side. Let's show Discord what a _real_ party is like!"

"I suppose we don't have much of a choice right now," sighed Rarity.

Even amidst the Rain of Lost Hope, hope sprang within the breasts of the six. Together, they all began to move towards the mysterious castle that had sprung from the ground…except for one of their number.

Twilight Sparkle noticed that Fluttershy was hesitating, and that her face seemed to be filled with apprehension.

"Come on, Fluttershy. We need you if we're going to beat Discord. You don't have to be afraid of him; we'll seal him away with our magic, just like last time, and before he can get out again, we'll get Princess Celestia to help us make sure he never comes back."

Fluttershy looked off into the distance.

"It's not Discord that scares me. It's his surprise."

Having fetched the Elements of Harmony, it did not take the ponies long to reach the massive door of Discord's castle.

Twilight Sparkle used her magic to open the door cautiously. Rainbow Dash, undaunted by the looming aspect of the tower, zipped inside, followed closely by the others.

They found themselves in a large, echo-filled room of stone, devoid of any furnishing. A staircase wound up to the ceiling on the wall opposite them. There were no windows; all the light in the room came from a number of torches hung high up in sconces.

When all six had wandered in, the door suddenly swung shut behind them and Discord's voice boomed through the hall.

"Ah, welcome!"

"We came, Discord," Twilight said. "Now stop this rain!"

"Pretty please with sugar on top?" Discord said mockingly. "Why do you think that you can get what you want by just asking nicely? If you want this rain to end, then you'll have to make me end it."

"Then where are you?" demanded Applejack through clenched teeth.

"I'm just fashionably late to my own soiree. That doesn't mean you can't greet the other guest, however!"

A blinding light suddenly emanated from the center of the room. When the six friends regained their sight from the flash, they could see that a symbol which could have been writing save that none of the ponies could read it had been drawn in fire over a deep and unreal darkness which was materializing on the ground. The symbol hung like a pane of glass over what looked like a bottomless pit.

"During my time of interdimensional imprisonment," Discord lectured as an amorphous shape seemed to emerge from the sign on the floor, "I searched across the multiverse for some force, any force, that could put an end to you tedious puppets of order. It may have taken all of my power to bring him here, but I finally did it; I found the one pony who can defeat you all! He's stronger, he's faster, and he's greater than all six of you combined! I suppose you don't need me to tell you about that, though. You'll find out for yourselves soon enough!" His maniacal laughter echoed all around.

The strange glowing shape had fully arisen, and the symbol on the ground disappeared with its darkness. As it did so, the light seemed to coalesce into a definite shape. Standing before the six friends was a horse larger and more muscular than any they had ever seen. His mane and tail seemed to blaze with fire, while his red coat smoldered like embers. He was outfitted in fearsome black armor, and his eyes glared with cruel anticipation.

Both sides stood still for a moment.

"Who are you?" Twilight Sparkle finally ventured to ask.

"The name," the red pony answered back, "is Red Hare."

Another pause deadened the air.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Fluttershy finally burst out. "Why are you helping him hurt our friends?"

"I don't care about your little 'friends.' I was only told that you six were the strongest around. I thought that fighting you would be fun. I could use a little fun."

"Then there's no chance you'll stand down?" said Twilight.

"Not until I test how strong you truly are."

"Well then," said Twilight with grim determination, "let's get him, everypony!"

That was their cue. The other ponies fell in place and concentrated on the power of the Elements of Harmony within themselves. United in their friendship, a beam shot across the empty room at the solitary warrior pony.

The beam cut through empty air, and when Twilight looked around, she saw Red Hare standing where Fluttershy had once been. Fluttershy herself was crumpled against a wall, her eyes closed.

"An attack that slow could never hit the fastest pony alive," Red Hare stated calmly.

"Fastest pony alive, huh? We'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash shouted. She immediately took off, flying full tilt at Red Hare.

Up until the last moment it seemed that she would hit her mark, but in the split second before impact, Red Hare simply stepped aside, leaving Rainbow Dash careening uncontrollably towards the walls of the tower. She collided with a sickening thud, falling to the ground dazed but conscious.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack, meanwhile, had used the opening provided by Rainbow Dash to flank Red Hare. They both struck his sides with all their might, simultaneously. Though he grunted in pain, Red Hare did not budge. Rearing up on his hind legs, he brought his forelegs down with such force that Applejack and Pinkie were both knocked off balance by the quaking of the earth. It was a simple matter then for Red Hare to strike both of them away.

Twilight Sparkle had rushed to the side of Fluttershy and was tending to her injuries. She tensely watched as Red Hare did battle with her friends. She needed to get Fluttershy somewhere safe, and quick. "We need to get Fluttershy out of here, guys!" she shouted.

The shout drew Red Hare's attention. Twilight gulped and readied herself.

Suddenly, Red Hare was encased in a glowing, pale blue light. Rarity strained to maintain her telekinesis as she lifted him higher and higher. As soon as he was several feet above the ground, she began to toss him back and forth, smashing him viciously into the walls. The impact did not to faze Red Hare. A great yell came from his lips and a shockwave propelled him downwards out of the cloud of magic, straight towards Rarity.

Rarity braced for the full brunt of his blow, but the blow never came. Rainbow Dash, having recovered her senses, had swooped in and snatched Red Hare out of the air. Mounting back up, she threw him down to the earth, where the waiting loop of a lasso closed around his legs. Spinning him around as fast as she could, Applejack launched Red Hare in the direction of Pinkie Pie, who with one strong kick from her hind legs sent him careening into a wall.

"Everypony to the stairs!" cried Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash picked up Fluttershy and the group ran off towards the tall, winding staircase. Red Hare stopped them short. It had taken him but an instant to get back to his feet and dash into a position to block their path, a fact which chilled Twilight. Hadn't they hurt him at all?

"Not too shabby. Certainly different from any other way of fighting I've encountered. I suppose you deserve to see one of my techniques for your effort."

Red Hare's mane and tail grew even brighter. Twilight had only just enough time to throw up a force field around herself and her friends before the entire room was engulfed in terrible fire. Even through the magical barrier, the heat was immense. Red Hare had disappeared within the roaring flames.

"Is Fluttershy okay?" Rainbow Dash offered solemnly.

"She wasn't hurt too badly. I know a spell that should heal her right up," responded Twilight Sparkle, speaking deliberately to maintain her concentration on the force field. "But I need quiet to cast it. Let's get up these stairs, now!"

Grouped together under the barrier, the ponies made their way up the treacherous steps as quickly as they could, still assaulted by the flames of Red Hare from below. Even when they reached the next floor of the tower they kept going, hoping to put enough distance into place to secure some time. Thus it was that they emerged onto an empty corridor, with doors leading every which way, having lost count of the number of levels they had placed between themselves and their foe.

Pinkie Pie grew excited. "Oooooh! Where does this door go? Where does THIS door go? Where does _this _door go?" she said, rushing back and forth between the different entrances.

"Just pick one we can hide in!" shouted an exasperated Twilight.

Pinkie Pie made her choice and the others hurried inside. They closed the door and turned around to take in their new surroundings.

The room they had chosen was not what they had expected. It was the most well-appointed toilette that the ponies had ever seen. Two dressers faced each other, their tops covered in more creams, colognes, and gels than any of them had ever encountered, even Rarity. A luxuriously large bathtub was situated in a deep recess on the wall across from the door. The most notable feature of the room, though, was Discord, who was sitting in the water-and-bubble-filled tub and had apparently just been holding up a hand mirror in which to admire his features, but was now staring in open-mouthed shock at the intruders.

"You weren't supposed to come into my private spa…um, I mean Chamber of Chaos!" he sputtered.

Applejack was just as gobsmacked. "Discord?"

Rarity was more composed. "You call this a spa? This is the tackiest design I've ever seen in my life! Those hideous dressers, that ridiculous bath…and let me see that mirror."

With her telekinesis, she lifted the mirror out of the still-shocked Discord's hands and drew it close to her face. As soon as her eyes focused on what was within it, though, she screamed and dropped it towards the ground.

It was all Discord could do to keep the mirror from hitting the hard floor. Screaming "No!" at the top of his lungs, his telekinetic powers saved it from shattering just in the nick of time. In his urgency, though, he had not summoned enough of his magical strength to stop Twilight's telekinesis from snatching it from out of his control.

Twilight, too, brought the mirror up to her gaze. Where normally she would have seen herself, in this mirror there was a different pony reflected: Red Hare.

A smile curled around Twilight's lips. "So this is how you brought him here."

The other ponies realized what had happened and crowded around Twilight defensively and triumphantly.

"Please, I beg of you, give me back that mirror. You don't understand what its purpose is." A plaintive tone had crept into Discord's voice, a tone Twilight had never heard before.

"Oh, I understand perfectly well, and if you don't get rid of your friend right now, we'll have to do it for you."

"It's not that simple…" Discord said uneasily.

"Well then, Applejack, would you do the honors?"

Twilight floated the mirror over to Applejack, who wound up to destroy the mirror. Before she could strike, though, her hand was stayed by a sudden outburst of pleading from Discord. "I will do anything you ask! Anything! Just don't destroy that mirror!"

Twilight brought the mirror back to herself. Was Discord telling the truth? Was there something more to this mirror than met the eye?

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle heard a great cracking. The door behind her had splintered into a million pieces and Red Hare had burst into the room.

"Get the mirror! Get it!" screamed Discord.

She went on instinct. With all the might her telekinetic magic could muster, Twilight Sparkle hurled the mirror at the ground. A giant crack ran through the glass and, suddenly, everything stopped.

Twilight felt herself rooted to the spot. Everyone around her was frozen in their places, and even though his body did not move, she heard the voice of Discord all around her.

"You little fool! That was the Mirror of Infinite Worlds! It was just as fragile as the shells that separate one dimension from another, and now that it is broken, so are the shells of our two worlds. Not even a master of chaos could tell you what will happen now. You have doomed us all!"

The world around Twilight Sparkle was beginning to melt like a painting made of ice, revealing a canvas of deathly blackness beyond it. Everyone and everything fell away and Twilight felt as if she were falling faster and faster through the unending night of nothingness. Unexpectedly, a faint light began to shine and Twilight began to accelerate towards it, going at speeds that would have been impossible if she were anywhere but nowhere. She blacked out before she could discover where the light would lead her.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"The Peach Garden Oath"

When Twilight Sparkle came to, the first two things she noticed were that she was in a deep, thick forest, filled with gnarled roots and the twisting trunks of tall trees, and that there was an uncomfortable weight pressing down on the top of her head.

With both hooves, Twilight lifted the mysterious burden off of her head as though it were a particularly heavy hat and brought it into her sight. It turned out to be Spike, still curled up in a sleep that had turned somewhat more fitful than when last Twilight had seen him.

She gently shook her companion and whispered "Spike."

The young dragon began to stir and to mumble. "You shall not have…my Rarity…Sir Francis Draco. On my honor…as a gentleman…and a dragon…I challenge you…to a duel…"

Another shake from Twilight dragged Spike fully from his slumber.

"Huh?" Spike murmured as he regained his bearings. "Why did you take me out here?"

Twilight sighed gloomily. "It was kind of an accident."

She proceeded to recount to Spike the whole story of last night's events. When she had finished, a look of confusion and disappointment ran across Spike's face.

"Wait," he began. "You mean I slept through the whole interdimensional travel thing? Aw man, that would have been so cool! I bet it was like…" here he began making odd noises and wiggling his arms wildly in front of himself.

"Stop it, Spike!" Twilight shouted reproachfully. "Do you understand how serious this is?"

There was an edge in Twilight's voice that Spike was unfamiliar with. His whoops and waves ground to a halt.

A look of panic crossed Twilight's face. She dashed from tree to tree, calling out to her friends, while Spike struggled to keep up.

"Hello? Anypony? Applejack? Pinkie? Fluttershy?"

Where were they? What had happened to them?

No response came from out of the choking tangle of the trees. Twilight was wearing herself out; she came to a halt and collapsed onto the ground, tears flowing forth from her eyes. Spike cautiously approached the sobbing figure.

"This is terrible, Spike," she finally said when she had gathered herself more fully. "And it's all my fault."

Spike spoke deliberately and gently. "Don't talk like that, Twilight. You couldn't have known what would happen when you broke that mirror; and if you did get us into this, then you'll just be the one to get us out, right?"

Though her eyes were not yet dry, Twilight Sparkle managed a smile. "Right."

"We made it through all right. The others have to be out there. We just need to find them is all."

Twilight reflected on this. Finding her friends, huh? She had never minded adventure novels too much; perhaps this was a chance to live out her own.

"Besides," Spike continued, "maybe this won't be such a bad place after all. It'll kind of be like a vacation."

Twilight laughed. "Let's just find our way out of this forest, okay?"

It had taken a good several minutes, but Twilight Sparkle and Spike had reached a clearing. Now, life seemed just as bright as the forest had been dark, for up ahead, the smoke of a camp could be clearly discerned. Crowded around a small fire was a troop of several creatures which Twilight had never seen in any of her zoological books. The noses looked familiar, but aside from that…

These speculations were secondary to the excitement that shot through the pony. Finally, some helping hands! Finding her friends would be that much faster with these animals on her side.

Twilight broke out into a run, Spike tumbling along beside her, shouting out her felicitations.

"Hello! Hello! Wait for me! One second!"

The men of the camp couldn't help but notice such a loud approach. One by one, they rose up as the two grew nearer to their midst.

Her pace wound down and brought her to the middle of the encampment. Every eye was on her, bulging in curiosity.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Greetings. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my trusty assistant Spike. We're kind of a long way from home right now, but we're pretty sure that some of our friends are here too. Could you maybe spare a little time to help a poor lost pony find them?" She shot them her best "filly in distress" look and waited for a reply.

The men stared open-mouthed at Twilight Sparkle. The silence was uncomfortable for her. Finally, one of the humans turned to another and said, "A talking pony with a horn, Master Cheng Yuanzhi!"

The fellow he had addressed was the tallest and most muscular of the bunch. An untamed bristle of a mustache sat on his upper lip, and by his side on the ground was a humongous club.

Cheng Yuanzhi walked around the fire to meet Twilight Sparkle and Spike. He loomed over the two as he spoke.

"A talking pony with a horn! A baby dragon! Surely this is one of those 'miracles' the Great Sage always talks about!"

A cheer rose up through the ranks of the tiny band, and Cheng Yuanzhi knelt down to Twilight's level, laying a hand on her mane. Twilight gave a friendly smile in return.

Quickly, Yuanzhi turned back to his men and barked out his orders. "Grab the dragon and pile wood on the fire! We shall offer these two up as a sacrifice to the glory of the heavens, and blessings shall rain down upon us!"

His gaze returned to a visibly shaken Twilight. "A…a…a sacrifice?" she stuttered weakly.

Yuanzhi smiled at her. "Do not fear, oh spirit in the shape of a horned pony with the gift of tongues! The purifying fires shall return you and the spirit in the shape of a dragon to the heavens where you belong."

Twilight glanced nervously to her left. The other men of the band had indeed grabbed Spike, and they were trying to force their struggling captive into a sack.

Twilight Sparkle reared up and smashed Yuanzhi with all of her might, sending him sprawling dangerously close to the fire. Wheeling around, she leveled her horn at the crowd gathered around Spike. A concussive blast rocketed from the tip and sent the men tumbling, shaking Spike free from their grasp.

Meanwhile, Yuanzhi had scrambled around the fire and picked up his club. With a weapon in his hand, his countenance became more fearsome.

"We don't want to be your sacrifices!" Twilight shouted at him.

"Oh, poor, misguided spirit, do not fear! We shall weather your test!"

And with that, Cheng Yuanzhi leapt into the air, landing on the other side of the fire in front of Twilight, his club swung back in preparation for a massive blow. The blow did not come, however, for Spike, having leapt to his feet, jumped on Yuanzhi's back and, anchoring himself with the claws on his feet, began to beat him with his little fists. Dropping his club, Yuanzhi groped behind him to remove the source of the irritation.

Twilight knew an opening when she saw one. With careful attention, she levitated the heavy club off of the ground and into the air. She just had to get it over the brigand's head and let it drop.

Suddenly, a shot of pain ran through Twilight's side. One of the men she had scattered with her bolt of energy had returned to the fray, and he had bashed at her with the blunt end of his spear. The surprise was just enough to break her concentration. The uncontrolled club hovered in the air for just a moment longer and dropped to the ground uselessly. Another blow was enough to knock Twilight off her feet. The cutthroat stood next to the prone pony, the business end of his spear now pointed at her.

A sudden _sching_ of steel, and he stood next to her no more, instead sinking lifeless to the ground. In his place was a new man dressed in armor of a delicate make, accentuated throughout by green cloth. He was kneeling, and in his hands were twin swords, extended out to his sides from the mighty blow he had struck against Twilight's assailant. He did not appear to be young, but his face bore none of the wrinkles and blemishes typical of age.

Another _sching_ and the entire gaggle of bandits on Twilight's left collapsed. A new man had dealt this blow, one even more muscular and hairy than Cheng Yuanzhi. His clothes, though simpler than the first man's, were also green. He carried a voulge with blades on both ends.

A tremendous blow to the back of Cheng Yuanzhi's head caused the brigand to sink to his knees. Spike slowed the hammering of his fists, dropped from Yuanzhi's back and looked up at the third arrival. If the second man had been heavier and hairier, then this man was far, far taller, almost a giant. A lengthy beard cascaded from his chin and he, too, wore a robe of green. In his hand was a stout spear with a crescent-shaped blade at its head. Most remarkably, he stood within the roaring blaze of the bandits' campfire and yet was not burned; it was as if the honor and conviction that shone through his mighty bearing repulsed the very flames from him.

The kneeling man in green rose to his feet and pointed one of his swords at the throat of Cheng Yuanzhi.

"Begone, scoundrel!" he declared with authority. "Your actions are an insult to the glory of the Han!"

Cheng Yuanzhi took the hint. Rising to his feet, he turned around to run but nearly bumped into the imposing bearded man behind him. Startled, he weaved around him and ran off into the nearby forest, screaming and waving his arms in the air.

Sheathing his two swords, the first man addressed his companions. "Guan Yu, Zhang Fei: remember that the innocent and the helpless must always be protected, even when they are not human."

A nod of assent came from the bearded warrior. "Yes, Lord Liu Bei."

He turned to Twilight Sparkle and lifted her back onto her feet. Twilight was hesitant at first to give her rescuer any expression of her gratitude; she had seen how well opening her mouth went just a few moments ago. However, something about this Liu Bei put her at ease; his features were broad and kindly and his eyes looked at her with concern and care shining in them, not judgment. His whole figure seemed to radiate a compassion that could overcome even the barriers of origin and species. She let a low whisper escape her lips. "Thanks."

Liu Bei was taken aback. He turned to his burly companion.

"It can talk, Zhang Fei? What do you make of this?"

Zhang Fei lumbered over and looked the worried Twilight over from head to hoof.

"A talking horse, huh?" he said, squinting. "And with a horn, too?" Here he paused to think.

"That's weird," Fei finally declared, turning away.

Liu Bei's face was serious as he faced away from Twilight for a moment. "Such prodigies speak ill of the Han's possession of the mandate of heaven." Turning back to the mare, he smiled gently. "Might we be of further service to you?"

Twilight's relief was palpable. However, it was to remain short-lived, as she soon heard a violent coughing that belonged unmistakably to Spike.

She rushed over to the side of the dragon, who was being held up by the bearded warrior. He sounded as if his lungs were going to give out at any moment.

"Spike! They didn't hurt you, did they?" Twilight fretted.

Her answer soon came as a small note came out of Spike's mouth in a burst of fire, smacking the bearded warrior in the face. It plopped to the ground right in front of Twilight.

With a timid, embarrassed smile, she picked it up. "It's for me," she explained to the annoyed warrior before her. With that, she ran off to a remote part of the field.

A letter from Princess Celestia! Then there was still some hope of getting back! If a message could travel this far, then why couldn't a pony?

Twilight Sparkle eagerly unrolled the tiny scroll and scanned it carefully.

_Dear Twilight Sparkle,_

_I know what has happened. The Mirror of Infinite Worlds has been broken. It was always foretold that this day would come, but I did not expect that it would arrive at this hour, nor did I realize that this would be the result of the mirror's destruction. The fates of Earth and Equestria, of humans and ponies, have always been intertwined. Now, both of our worlds have been plunged into darkness, and many of your friends and acquaintances have been cruelly spirited away with you into this unknown world. Be that as it may, there is still hope. There was a prophecy I was taught as a child: "When the lands of the humans in the east are whole again, so shall Equestria be made whole." I did not fully understand what it meant until now. There is a power that flows through the land of the humans, and if this land is united once again, then its magic should be strong enough to bridge the gap between our dimensions. Twilight, you must work to restore harmony to the humans. I know that this will not be easy, but I have no fear. My faith in you is absolute. I am sorry, but I cannot write to you again; it has taken all of my strength to send this message to you. I and the ponies who have remained behind await the day of your return. Remember, no matter what horrors you face, that there is no magic stronger than friendship._

_Sincerely,_

_Princess Celestia_

The words of the note lifted one weight from Twilight Sparkle's mind only to add another. There was a chance that she could return home…but it appeared that she would be in this scary new world for a long time.

Meanwhile, the bearded warrior had maintained his interest in Spike. "Lord Liu Bei! Master Zhang Fei! We are in the presence of a dragon!" he shouted. Laying his weapon before the puzzled Spike, he prostrated himself and began to orate. "Magnificent creature, I, Guan Yu, place my weapon, the Blue Dragon, before you to show my sympathy and my humility. Your race is renowned not just for might, but for wisdom, and though you are young, you have surely seen many more moons than I have. Therefore, I humbly beseech you for a pearl of knowledge that might serve me on the path of the warrior."

Spike was confused, but his response was quick.

"I shall bestow my wisdom on you," he said in the most mystical tone he could muster, "so long as you complete the task I give."

"What must I do?"

"You have to teach me how to grow an awesome beard and moustache like yours. Seriously, I've even tried magic and it didn't make anything as awesome as that!"

The warrior sat up in embarrassment and stroked his long beard while Zhang Fei, who had been listening in on the conversation, laughed heartily. Fei walked over and scooped Spike up onto his shoulder.

"This dragon ain't half bad, you know that?" he laughed.

If there had been any tension amongst the green-clad three, it was gone now. Twilight Sparkle knew that this was her chance to plead her case. From her spot in the open field she walked back to the encampment and approached the man who had saved her.

"I'm sorry, Lord…Liu Bei, was it? I don't know anything about this land of yours. I'm a long way from home and it's a long story. Suffice it to say, do you think you could find it in your heart to…"

"You need my aid?" Liu Bei interpolated. "My friends and I were hoping to visit the nearby peach garden. If you would not mind joining us on our journey, I am sure you would have enough time to explain your troubles to us. You may rest assured that when there is a good cause, my swords will always be at its service."

As Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei made preparations to leave, Twilight felt as if a cloud had passed from over her. There was light on the way ahead, and it seemed that it would lead home.

It took the whole of the trip to the peach garden to get Liu Bei to understand her situation. The different ways in which their worlds worked produced no small amount of confusion. By the time Liu Bei was reclining against a peach tree deep within the heart of the grove, however, he had understood well enough.

"It is a way home you seek, then?" he said, his brow furrowed. "And such a way will only appear when the land is united?" It almost appeared as if he were being haunted by a dark specter.

Twilight nodded in affirmation. "That's right. You know this place better than I do; I mean, you've lived here all your life. Please tell me: what can I do to unite this land?"

Liu Bei stood up and began to pace.

"Restoring the empire to harmony will not be an easy task. The Han has ruled for a long time, but with the rebellion of the Yellow Turban sect, the illusion of its control has been shattered. An age of chaos is in store, and it will not be pleasant."

Bei turned back to face Twilight Sparkle, an expectant look across his face.

"I will tell you a secret. I have traveled across the empire and seen nothing but savagery. The poor are oppressed and downtrodden, and their labors serve only to enrich the warlords that exploit them. I have long dreamed of what a land of benevolence might look like. A land ruled by me…" Here his voice trailed off.

Guan Yu's attention was not diverted, and he leapt to his feet. "Do you mean to say that you intend to take over this land?"

Liu Bei looked almost sheepish. "It has weighed heavily on my heart for a long time. I know that I have no kingdom of my own, that I am a mere wanderer."

Rapidly, Liu Bei gestured towards the purple pony by his side. "But now Lady Twilight Sparkle has come, bearing the message that the land must be unified. I cannot help but believe that this is the sign I have been waiting for. I cannot let her down any more than I can let myself down."

Liu Bei knelt down next to the surprised Twilight Sparkle. "Lady Twilight, if you will stand by me, I promise that I shall create a new era of unity and kindness for your sake and for the sake of the people."

Twilight could feel an overwhelming power flowing from the humble man before her, a power she knew well, one that she had felt herself when her friends had stood by her side and faced the evils of Nightmare Moon, the parasprites, Discord…her friends. What had become of them? A sudden sadness clutched her heart even as the sincerity of her newfound companion warmed her like the sun.

The moment was interrupted by the looming figure of Guan Yu.

"My lord," he began deliberately. "When I first became your follower, it was because of the love you bore for the people. Now, in seeing the full extent of your vision, I see the full extent of your love. Truly, I am honored to serve by your side, and nothing pleases me more than to say that, at this moment, you are no longer simply my lord; you are my brother." A slight wetness played at the corner of Guan Yu's eye as he thrust forth his crescent blade in salute.

Liu Bei stood and, drawing one of his own blades, crossed it with Guan Yu's. "Your faith in me is the greatest strength I could hope to have."

Zhang Fei hoisted himself up from the tree he had been sitting under. "You're gonna need more than two people to pull off something like this…brother."

Soon Zhang Fei's voulge had joined the weapons of his companions in salute.

Twilight Sparkle stared at the spectacle. It was true that she did not yet know these men very well; and yet, here she could see all she needed to know of them. Their friendship had been forged out of her sight, but it was as strong as any she had ever known. And she, too, had been offered a place within it.

She slowly sauntered up to the group, her old bookish meekness getting the better of her for the moment. "Mr. Liu…" she began, but her tongue seemed to trip over itself. Actions, she decided, would speak louder than words. Concentrating her telekinetic power, she plucked a ripe peach from the branches of one of the trees and floated it over so that it perched gently on the edges of the three blades. She blushed, hoping that she had made herself clear. Liu Bei's smile in return informed her that she had.

Spike had clambered over by this point. "Hey, I want in on this, too!" he whined, jumping up and down to reach the crossed weapons far above him.

Zhang Fei laughed and ran over to his pack. He returned with a large bone from a long-ago-devoured hunk of meat. He handed Spike the bone with all the decorum he would have shown an emperor receiving a scepter, then scooped the young dragon up and placed him on his shoulders so that, when the circle was reformed, everyone could reach into the middle.

Liu Bei surveyed the group around him. "If this is our fate," he intoned, "then let us swear an oath."

"When saying the names Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike, although these names are all different, yet we have come together as siblings. From this day forward, we shall join forces for a common purpose: to save the troubled and to aid the endangered. We shall avenge the nation above, and pacify the citizenry below. We seek not to be born on the same day, in the same month and in the same year. We merely hope to die on the same day, in the same month and in the same year. May the Gods of Heaven and Earth attest to what is in our hearts. If we should ever do anything to betray our friendship, may heaven and the people of the earth both strike us dead."

It had taken all of Twilight Sparkle's strength to overcome the nervous confusion that had gripped her. Liu Bei had spoken eloquently, but as the meaning of his words unfolded itself, Twilight Sparkle's heart dropped. Before, she had felt safe in the company of these warriors who had shone forth with compassion and understanding for her. Now, as their leader spoke of death as if it was his friend, as if death had any place in friendship…Twilight had known that there was an hour in which she would cease to exist, but that hour seemed to be drawing too close for comfort. And yet, could she abandon this man, who had snatched her life back from the jaws of that very same death he spoke of now, and who had placed all of his strength in her hooves without hesitation when he had learned of her plight?

"They may have weird ways of showing it," Twilight thought silently to herself, "but friendship is friendship no matter where you are."

A wind had picked up. The blossoms of the peach trees that had lain dormant on the ground now whipped around in an agitated frenzy as if ghosts were throwing them back and forth in an occult battle of pleasure. This did not last; soon they sank back to the silence of the cold dirt.

Zuo Ci breathed deeply.

The air around his mountain retreat was blessed not just by its closeness to the heavens, but its closeness to the living earth as well. The trees that sprang up in verdant glory, the streams that babbled with cool, quenching water; all of these impregnated the air with their Oneness. As air filled the lungs of Zuo Ci, so did piety fill his mind.

Today, however, he could not help but cough after his breath. Even in a place such as this, the illness that infected the land, that had caused the unholy Yellow Turbans to sprout like weeds amongst a bountiful harvest, could still be felt. He felt it deep within his own body as well. What _chi_ could he draw from a world such as this? Only that which had been polluted and disordered.

Another breath lead into a sigh, and Zuo Ci returned to the cave he had painstakingly carved. A puny trout was cooking over an equally tiny fire. Lao Tzu himself had written that frying a small fish was as difficult as governing the whole of the empire; Ci was just happy that he had mastered one of those tasks.

The magic he had been blessed with all these years was falling apart with the land itself. An old frame like his did not have long to comfort itself and prepare for its return to the great unity.

The sudden sound of hooves on stone announced the arrival of an unknown figure, but Zuo Ci was not surprised. Just minutes before he had felt out the aura of this being as it made its way up the side of the mountain. The aura had none of the imperfections that anger and violent purpose lent; more intriguingly, it had been strong, and detecting it had almost been like looking into the sun. Zuo Ci had thus decided to permit the ascent, and he could see that he was not unrewarded.

The creature before him was strange and new, like a horse but with hair that tossed black stripes across a white base. Her golden jewelry seemed to glint of its own accord.

"I am sorry I have only a simple fish and a dirt floor to offer you, friend," he started, "but you may help yourself to all you like. Might I ask what would bring you to visit a useless old hermit on such a high mountain?"

"Though you may play the anchorite, your magic shines with endless light," responded Zecora.

"Perhaps at one time it did. Perhaps it still does now," Zuo Ci chortled gently. "The heavens have decided to abandon this land, and me with it."

"The fate which tosses you about, has cast me from my homeland out," Zecora replied with sympathy.

"And you had perhaps hoped that I would show you a path back? I am afraid such wisdom is beyond a fool like me."

Zuo Ci tried to turn away, but Zecora dashed forth and caught his gaze in hers. The force in her eyes was almost a spell in itself. For the first time in a long time, a twinge of awe pricked Zuo Ci.

"I did not come for selfish ends, but came as one that heaven sends," the zebra enunciated. "I know the work I am to do; I must restore your strength to you!"

"But," sputtered the overborn Zuo Ci, "with the land in chaos…"

"To bring the land to unity, the ponies shall become the key!" shouted Zecora in cryptic ecstasy.

Unexpectedly calm, Zecora turned away, and Zuo Ci felt as if he had just weathered a storm. When she turned to speak to him again, it was with a milder tone.

"The might of two combined as one, shall bring the rising of the sun."

With that, Zecora found a comfortable spot and arrayed herself for sleep. Equanimity returned to Ci as he watched his company drift off into the world of dreams. So he would have a houseguest for a while?

He looked back at the quickly blackening fish. Perhaps, he thought, there were still some small things he could do for the sake of the people.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Yellow Turban Menace

Cheng Yuanzhi's breath fell from his lips in painful bursts as he knelt before the darkness within which he was sure his master stood. Running by day and sleeping by night had taken a lot out of him, or so his aching muscles testified. The feeling had been even more agonizing when he was standing before the high altar just moments before, the sun bearing down on his parched body like a vulture as he purified himself in prayer. But now, in the cool darkness of the inner sanctum, it was as if the spirit of heaven was surging back into him from the very being of the Great Teacher, soothing his troubled body, if not his troubled mind.

He continued recounting his wild tale. "It could speak with the tongue of a man, and a dragon was its companion! It had a horn, as sharp as a dagger, coming out of its forehead, and it blasted my men with evil magic! And then, from out of nowhere, came three demonic warriors who slaughtered everyone! I ran and ran…"

Zhang Jiao stepped out of the shadows, his long and elegant robe trailing behind him, and placed a hand on Cheng Yuanzhi's shoulder.

"You were wise, my child, not to pit yourself against the legions of hell. Alone, we are powerless to fight the darkness that even now flows forth from the corrupt Han to torment the land. But together, we may yet bring the light of the heavens back to the unbelievers!"

His tone had been growing increasingly agitated. Abruptly, Zhang Jiao pressed his hands against Cheng Yuanzhi's cheeks, pulling the warrior up by his head. He stared him straight in the eyes.

"DO YOU HAVE FAITH IN THE HEAVENS, CHENG YUANZHI?" he shouted directly at the brigand.

Cheng Yuanzhi would have shaken the spit off of his face, but he knew the Great Teacher might have taken that as a "no."

Apparently, Cheng Yuanzhi's silence had been enough of an answer for Zhang Jiao. As swiftly as he had grabbed his student, he let him fall back to the ground and turned again towards the darkness in the back of the room.

"So you do believe! Then take care, my child. The Yellow Turbans shall require a miracle if they are to stand a chance against the fell foes you have reported unto me."

The rogue was upright now, his face a mask of confusion. "But what miracle do you mean, O Great Sage? You aren't saying that the Yellow Turbans are finished, are you?"

Zhang Jiao turned slightly. His smile was warm, but his eyes glinted with bloody determination.

"O ye of little faith! The heavens have already answered our prayers!"

And suddenly, shining forth from the darkness at Zhang Jiao's hip, there appeared a pair of eyes…eyes stranger than any Cheng Yuanzhi had ever seen…

On the whole, Twilight Sparkle wished that it were night.

Since the day of the oath in the peach garden, she had been following Liu Bei as he roamed the countryside like a man possessed. From time to time they would reach a small village, always looking the same as the one before it with dusty houses and frowning, care-filled people, and Liu Bei would go to work. With no fear, he would stand in the center of the town and declaim the virtues of the Han and the evils of the Yellow Turbans. His voice as clear as a bell, he would demand that all able-bodied men join his force, for the sake of their families and the land they loved. It was a method a madpony might have used, Twilight had mused, but there was no mistaking Liu Bei for mad; his powerful demeanor and the conviction in every one of his words almost forced one to pay attention to him. In his presence, the people awoke from apathy into inspiration, and Liu Bei had collected at least a few new followers at every town he visited.

By this point, though, there was no more need to visit the hamlets of the land; what had once been only five sworn siblings had blossomed into a veritable volunteer army of peasants and farmers, men driven only by hunger and hope for a better life. Now, Liu Bei had a different destination: the main camp of the Han forces, the site for the final strike against the beleaguered Yellow Turbans.

The pattern for each day was fairly rigid; marching while the sun stood overhead, and rest when it slipped behind the hills again. The nights were particularly special for Twilight; when camp had been set and the cooking fire blazed high, the pony would take her meal and join Liu Bei in his tent. There, the leader of men would once again continue the task he had set for himself of educating Twilight on the nuances of the world in which she had been dropped. Certainly, the pony admitted to herself, when it came to teaching, he wasn't even half as good as Celestia; her questions on the finer points of the court intrigues he described were often met with blank stares, and she often had to ask him to elaborate on ideas that seemed obvious to him but escaped someone like her with no familiarity with the land. Whatever else he may have been, Liu Bei was clearly not overly clever. But he approached his self-appointed job with such dedication and such solicitation for Twilight's needs that the unicorn found herself absorbed nevertheless by his lessons.

Besides, she needed the knowledge, no matter how haltingly it came. If what Celestia had told her was true (and it certainly seemed that way, for, Twilight realized, how else could humans and ponies have arrived at a common language save for the sort of mystical linking of fates that the Princess had described?), then she was in for a long stay in this world.

Thus, as the sun beat down on her and the rest of Liu Bei's exhausted forces as they trudged forth, Twilight silently begged for the comforts of food and study that night offered…or at least relief from Spike's constant complaining.

"When are we gonna eat, Twi? I'm hungry!"

"You know when we're going to eat: whenever nighttime comes. Just be patient."

"But I'm starving! And my feet are tired, too. C'mon, Twilight, let me hitch a ride on your back!"

"I already let you do that an hour ago. You're not the only one who gets tired, you kn…"

Twilight's thought was interrupted by what had just come into her sight over the top of the hill they had been scaling. If Liu Bei had taught her correctly, what she was seeing was the flag of the Han empire, waving in the breeze.

She turned and looked at Liu Bei. His eyes fixed on the flag for just a moment before he wheeled his horse around and began galloping down the flank of his forces.

"Men!" he shouted, "The camp of the Imperial Han is just ahead! All we need is one last push and we shall reach it; now forward!"

A shout of joy rose up amidst the ranks, and a mad dash ensued as the peasants eagerly struggled against their fatigue in the hopes of reaching a place of rest, even as Liu Bei shouted at them to slow their advance, lest they be mistaken for hostiles.

Twilight let the wave of bodies wash over her without quickening her trot. Spike had joined in the sprint, so when Liu Bei circled back, only she, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu remained to greet him.

Zhang Fei turned to Twilight, his jaw clenched in a tight grin. "So this is your first real battle, huh? Boy, I can't wait to see what you can do out there! I bet those hooves are pretty good for bashing in skulls, eh? And that horn looks pretty sharp…"

Twilight wanted to grimace, but she checked herself and tried to project interest as Fei relished his own imaginings of the carnage she could wreak.

"You'd do well to show a little more empathy, Zhang Fei," interrupted Guan Yu. "Not everyone takes as keen a pleasure as you do in battle." Turning to Twilight, he continued. "Worry not, sister. If you simply stay behind me, the Blue Dragon will clear a path for you. You need not lift a fing…I mean, hoof."

Guan Yu was dismayed at his slip, and he tried to laugh it off, but his uneasiness was showing.

Twilight laughed as well, although his comment had made her nearly as uncomfortable as Zhang Fei's…not because of the sentiment, but because he had used the word "sister." She knew that was how those who had sworn to an oath of friendship were supposed to refer to each other in this world, but the word still didn't feel right coming from anyone other than Shining Armor.

Their small caravan soon reached the main body of Liu Bei's troops that had gathered before the imposing doors to the Han camp. The volunteers had winded themselves and all were breathing heavily. Even in their exhaustion, however, they were canny enough to give a wide berth to Spike, for with each breath the panting dragon took, a tongue of flame shot from his mouth.

"Man," said Spike between puffs as he ambled back to Twilight's side. "That's the last time I'm running on an empty stomach."

A guard peered down on the motley forces from the battlements of the camp. A gesture from Liu Bei, and he disappeared from sight. The door soon swung open before them, and the guard pointed them towards a mounted warrior, clad in filigreed armor of black and gold, who was presently engaged in shouting at a pair of rather haggard-looking lieutenants.

The men dismounted and began to move towards the imposing figure, motioning for Twilight and Spike to follow. When the band had nearly reached him, a realization seemed to cross Guan Yu's mind. Turning to the pony and the dragon, he whispered to them.

"That is Lord He Jin, chosen by the Emperor himself to crush this rebellion. We all must show him the proper deference."

And with that, finally standing before the general, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei all knelt down. Twilight hesitated a moment, and finally decided to adopt the same attitude she would have had she been before Princess Celestia. Spike only managed to contort himself into an awkward bow.

"General," announced Liu Bei, his eyes averted and turned towards the ground, "I, Liu Bei, have come with a force of volunteers to lend you whatever aid I can in your most righteous cause. Though my men are inexperienced in battle, their loyalty to the Han is unimpeachable, and, to a one, they would give their lives to see these heretics driven from the land. I humbly ask that you let us advance with you."

He Jin surveyed the five figures before him and scowled. "You are the descendent of Liu Sheng, are you not?"

Liu Bei looked up in surprise, and then immediately lowered his head again. "Yes, I am."

He Jin's lips curled into a cold smirk. "I have heard about you, Liu Bei. You are a disgrace to your ancestor! Liu Sheng was a true leader, who had thousands to do his bidding and all the riches of the land at his disposal, and what have you reduced his legacy to? You're nothing better than a worthless shoemaker, trying to pass off a gaggle of even more worthless peasants as an army! If I didn't need your friend Gongsun Zan's help today, I'd throw you out of here myself!

Twilight Sparkle looked out of the corner of her eye at her sworn brother. Though Liu Bei was doing his best to remain stoic, it was clear from his sad eyes and quivering lip that he could not totally keep in check the heartache that He Jin's cruel taunts were causing him. Twilight gritted her teeth and looked away.

He Jin was not yet done needling the still-kneeling Liu Bei. "Is this the same man who, as a child, ran around telling everyone he was going to be Emperor some day? My, what progress you've made since then! You've even got two lumbering oafs to guard your head if the rabble you've gathered grows tired of your useless dreams! Surely you must be looking for ministers by now; have you talked to any of the rice farmers in the area? Yes, that's just what the Han needs right now: Emperor Liu Bei and his cabinet of yokels!"

Twilight couldn't stop herself. Rearing up to her full height, she fixed her eyes directly on He Jin. "That's enough!" she bellowed.

The general turned in surprise and Twilight Sparkle continued. "Listen up, you big bully! I don't like it when people make my friends feel miserable. Liu Bei's a good man, and he only wants what's best for the land. He may not have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he always gives everything he can to help those he cares about, and I wonder if YOU could say the same. So leave him alone, or you're going to have to answer to me!"

Smiling proudly, Twilight Sparkle glanced at Liu Bei. He was looking at her, and the gratitude in his countenance filled her with warmth. The sound of movement at her other side caught her attention. Somewhat belatedly, Spike had wobbled out of his deferential bow, and now stood with his arms defiantly akimbo.

"Yeah!" he roared, trying to sound as tough as he could. "What she said!"

He Jin's composure wavered and a look of unabashed anger crossed his face. He did not even turn in Twilight and Spike's direction, instead focusing all of his attention on Liu Bei.

"I noticed that you also brought a couple more of these weird creatures to clutter up my camp."

More? The meaning of that word resounded in Twilight's brain. "MORE? You mean there's somepony else here?" she squealed excitedly.

He Jin ignored her. "I was planning on having Lord Huangfu Song guard the main camp while the rest of us charged out to meet the foe, but now it seems to me that your force will serve that purpose far better. Those are your orders."

He Jin's horse reared up and began to trot away with the general, but stopped suddenly. He Jin looked over his shoulder one last time at the five sworn siblings.

"And you should consider yourself lucky that I have better things to do than to teach you and that…purple thing of yours a lesson about overreaching your station."

With that, he was off.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei unbent their knees and started dusting themselves off. Twilight trotted up to her sworn brothers, a grin of triumph on her face.

"After all those mean things he said, I'm glad He Jin was still willing to give us such a good assignment. Now we won't have to risk the lives of any…"

Here Twilight's voice trailed off, for the morose faces of her comrades told her all she needed to know of how they felt about their lot in the upcoming battle. Still, she did not quite understand. Wasn't it better for them and for the people who had entrusted their lives to them to stay safe in the main camp?

Guan Yu answered her expression of incomprehension. "Lord He Jin is not guided by any noble motives; he simply wishes to take the glory for himself. While he charges forth like a hero into the thick of the fight, we will languish in anonymity here, where the Yellow Turbans will certainly never reach."

"Yeah!" Zhang Fei chimed in, his fists clenched into tight balls. "And if Brother doesn't make a name for himself in this battle, then he won't have any chance of uniting the land!" He turned to the downcast Liu Bei. "Come on, Brother! You don't have to take this! Let's just ignore that He Jin and jump into the fray!"

"Right on!" yelped Spike, running to Zhang Fei's side. "Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do, and I'm the manliest dragon there is. Let me at 'em!"

Liu Bei held out his hand to stop Spike's rush for the base's gates with a gloomy slowness. "No. Twilight is right. Even if it means I shall not be remembered in this battle, I have a duty to the Han to fulfill. If the Han requires me to guard this fortress, then guard it I shall. Virtue dictates nothing less."

"Don't worry about what that blowhard He Jin says," intoned a voice from behind Liu Bei. The effect was stunning; from his despair, Liu Bei seemed to awaken into life again as he whirled around to face his addresser with a broad smile. Twilight looked the new man over; he was about as young as Liu Bei, with long black hair and a broad swath of stubble around his jaw.

"He wouldn't know honor or prowess if it sat right up on that silly little helmet of his and recited _The Art of War_ from memory," the stranger continued, clearly as pleased as Liu Bei at the meeting.

"Lord Gongsun Zan!" gushed Liu Bei. "It's been far too long!"

"Ages, in fact," finished Zan. "So, how is my old school chum?"

Liu Bei glanced behind him at his coterie, and then back at Gongsun Zan. "Well, as the heavens have seen fit to bless me with the support of true friends, I cannot say that I have been unfortunate."

"You'd better not say the word 'heavens" around here," joked Gongsun Zan. "Those Yellow Turban heretics might hear you and get all riled up."

Liu Bei laughed along. "I hear you have done quite well for yourself. You must excuse me," he said, turning to his sworn siblings, "but Lord Zan and I have a great deal of catching up to do."

The two walked away, still chatting.

Twilight was uneasy. "I should be happy that we'll all be out of harm's way," she thought to herself. And yet, she was not. Did she really have so little faith in the strength of Liu Bei that she feared he would abandon his men to unnecessary danger?

No, she reminded herself, a good sworn sister would never let someone she cared about take needless chances that put life and limb in peril. Liu Bei needed to stay here in the camp. Surely there was some other way he could make himself known…

Twilight caught herself staring at Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan, who were now sitting on the ground at the far end of camp continuing their discussion. It was just the reminder she needed. Right now, she had better things to do than worry about being right or wrong. Somepony else was in the camp right now, and she needed to find her!

Twilight surveyed the scene around her. It was mostly filled with humans, and the only horses she could see were of the weird kind that this world seemed to possess, with their glassy, thoughtless eyes and drab coats. She lingered for a moment on the sight of a group of warriors in blue. The central one was mustachioed and goateed, and his expression was a sour one as he seemed to size up the whole camp at once. The men beside him also wore mustaches and beards, but one was thin, well-built, and with an unkempt look that only added to his rugged handsomeness, and the other was fat and bulky, with a rounded, pleasant face that seemed suited to the casual way he had flung his bow across his shoulder. A little further off was a young man with an unruly mop of black hair. They all seemed so distant from the others, and so cruel in their remoteness, that Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but shiver. She quickly turned away from them and looked for other signs of a pony's presence. The only other thing that caught her eye was a band of soldiers all clad in red. At their head was a distinguished-looking but sprightly older man, a shock of white hair on his head offsetting his black beard and lending a touch of nobility to the overall impression of savagery he projected. By his side were a pony-tailed youth holding a pair of tonfas, a short-haired girl with a set of wheels, another youth, clean-shaven and sallow-faced, and, at the level of their knees, an auburn-coated pony with a trio of apples on her flank…

Twilight was briefly startled; then, overcome with joy, she bellowed at the top of her lungs "APPLEJACK!"

She drew the attention of some of the other warlords, who scowled at her and shook their heads, but Twilight did not care, as she had gotten the one figure she cared about right now to notice. Applejack looked shocked for a moment, then, seeming to realize that what she was seeing was indeed true and not just a dream, started into an easy gallop and soon reached the side of her friend.

"Sugarcube!" the pony declared with excitement. "I was so worried about you!"

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Twilight gushed, teardrops forming like a storm in her eyes. "Applejack, do you know where the others are?"

The earth pony lost her smile. "I was gonna ask you the same thing." The two shared a short pause, until Applejack quickly perked back up. "But if you're okay, why then, I'd bet the whole Sweet Apple Acres harvest that the others are okay too!"

Twilight felt warm inside. "How did you find your way here?"

A look of realization crossed Applejack's face. "Well, shoot, I've gotta introduce you to the Sun family! They're the ones who brought me along for this little tussle. Come on!"

Before Twilight could object, Applejack had grabbed her and shuffled her over to the group of people she had been with earlier.

"Hey y'all, I want you to meet my friend Twilight Sparkle," Applejack declared enthusiastically. "Twi, this is Sun Jian, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and of course, Sun Shang Xiang," she said, pointing at the older man, the pony-tailed youth, the clean-shaven youth, and the girl in turn.

The whole family seemed a little embarrassed, except for Sun Ce, who put aside his tonfas and thrust out his hand for Twilight to shake. "Nice to meet you, Twilight!" he offered cheerfully.

Twilight Sparkle was grateful that there were fewer Sun family members than there were Apple family members. She was just about to raise her hoof to meet Sun Ce's palm when she heard someone clear his throat behind her. She turned around to see a squat, balding man with a bland face topping a muscular, if unremarkable, body.

"Um, Applejack," he began shyly, "aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Twilight, this is…um….this is…"

"I'm Han Dang," the man said, his impatience rather poorly concealed.

"Right! Han Dang."

"I'll try to remember that," Twilight offered jocularly, but she only seemed to make Dang more upset, and he sulked away.

When the ponies had ambled off again, Twilight picked up their conversation. "Applejack, I got a letter from Celestia."

Applejack was visibly shaken. "From the Princess? Is she here too?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, she's back in Equestria."

"Then what did the letter say?"

"She wrote that there's a chance we can go home."

Applejack's eyes widened. Twilight continued. "All we have to do is 'unite the land.'"

The earth pony's brow furrowed in thought. "Uniting the land, huh? That sounds like it's gonna be a mite difficult." Her eyes narrowed into determined slits, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips. "But I reckon that clobbering these Yellow Turban varmints with Sun Jian will be a good way to start."

"What?" uttered Twilight, barely containing her surprise.

"Well, that's what I'm here for, sugarcube. I told Sun Jian I'd help him out on the front lines."

"But you don't know the first thing about fighting in a war!"

"I bet your book learning didn't cover that either, but you're here anyway."

Twilight was silent. She knew that arguing with Applejack was one of the most pointless things a pony could do. Still, her heart was beating fast and she could feel a lump coming on in her throat. One of her friends was safe…but would the other be?

Cao Cao watched and stroked his beard as the two colorful ponies talked. The sun was harsh today and he had to squint to see them, which made his face look even more severe than usual. Next to him, the rugged Xiahou Dun was staring with equal intensity. Only Xiahou Yuan was paying no attention; he had unslung his bow from his shoulder and was engaged in fine-tuning the tension of the string.

After a long time, Cao Cao spoke. "Steeds that speak in the tongue of man, covered in unnatural markings: truly, such prodigies could only arise in a time of chaos."

"But if I know you, cousin," Xiahou Dun responded slyly, "you're already thinking about how you can make use of them in realizing your ambition."

Cao Cao chuckled. It was a low and mirthless sound. "You are right, Xiahou Dun. But I can already tell that these two could never serve. Regardless of the extent of their ability, it is clear that their only loyalty is to each other. The pony who joins my forces shall not only be of incomparable skill, but shall also possess a temperament which I might manipulate into unshakeable loyalty to me."

"Are you sure such a pony exists, my lord?"

"One can be sure of nothing when the land is in turmoil; but if these ponies are indeed worthy of my attention, then it would be foolish of me to take anything less than the best their ranks have to offer."

Xiahou Yuan placed his bow over his shoulder and turned to Cao Cao. "It figures. As soon as we set out to conquer the land, you're already talking about fighting alongside a bunch of freaky-looking demon horses. I knew I'd be seeing some strange things when I struck out with you, but I didn't know they'd get this strange this quickly."

The heavy-set warrior sat down on the ground. "Still, I know you just love recruiting the strong and weird types…"

"Admit it, Lord Xiahou Yuan," interrupted Li Dian, approaching the trio and running a hand through his tangle of black hair. "You like the color they add to this battlefield. With those ponies fighting beside us, I have a hunch that this campaign will go by quickly…perhaps even too quickly for Lord Cao Cao's liking."

Cao Cao only smirked at this, without saying a word.


End file.
